IN BRIEF.

Highlight of the week

Exiled Iraqi filmmaker Saad Salman had lived in Paris for more than 25 years when his mother became seriously ill. In his 86-minute documentary "Baghdad On/Off," he chronicles the obstacles he encounters journeying back to his native land to be by her side. As his guide zigzags through Iraq to avoid danger, Salman's digital videocam captures images of Kurdish refugee camps, victims who have suffered at the hands of Saddam Hussein and Iraqis, yet still find enough spirit to make music and give parties. Salman's film has been described as a road movie mixing comedy and poetry, melancholy and joy.

One of the best American Film Theatre production is a potent transcription of Eugene O'Neill's great barroom drama, set in 1912, with Lee Marvin as doomed gladhander Hickey--a role made famous on stage by Jason Robards--and a matchless supporting cast (Robert Ryan, Fredric March, Jeff Bridges). Wed.; Gene Siskel Film Center.

"Come and See" (Russia, Elem Klimov, 1985) (star)(star)(star)(star)

A teenage partisan (Alexei Kravchenko) in Byelorussia during the WW II German invasion witnesses a series of numbing atrocities. One of the most devastating of all war films; it is dramatically and photographically, a descent into hell. Sun., Max Palevsky Cinema.

School of the Art Institute, 280 S. Columbus Drive and 112 S. Michigan Ave., The IFP/Chicago Independent Filmmakers Conference includes panel discussions, receptions, screenings of "King of the Tango," "Uncle Nimo," "Monster," and "21 Grams." Patty Jenkins, director of "Monster," is among the filmmakers scheduled to speak. Also, the Flyover Zone Short Film Festival, Fri.-Sun.; call for prices for conference pass and single events, 312-435-1825, www.ifp.org.